


meow

by verucaa



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Multi, One Shot, Wordcount: 100-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27496501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verucaa/pseuds/verucaa
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Hoshi Ryoma
Kudos: 13





	meow

It was raining. Kaede sat on her cushioned seat, just in front of the grand piano. A wide window sat across from her, the rain tapping against it in a soft rhythm that she listened to intently. She'd hadn't been motivated to play in hours, let alone right now when the rain was thrashing down just outside. Kaede let her finger press down on one of the keys. 

It drawled out one long continuous note, mixing with the melody of the rain pattering outside. 

"Are you gonna play a song or...?" A gruff voice sounded behind her, the note fading out and being replaced with the squeaking footsteps of Ryoma Hoshi. 

"Oh," Kaede murmured, twisting around to look at the boy around her, "Hello, Hoshi-kun."

"Hey," Ryoma grunted out. He wandered over to the windowsill of the window and hopped on the balls of his feet to sit up on top of the dark wood. As he perched himself on the edge, he turned to face her, the pale, white light framing the boy's silhouette like an angel. Though, the spiked points of his beanie made them look like horns in the light.

Kaede hummed slightly in response. Ryoma had always made her feel comfortable. He'd never pestered her to the point she wanted to scream or pulled her around the school to bond. The small boy was always so calm and collected when it came to being around others. Albeit, he got involved sometimes with the others pranks and teases, but for most of the time, he sat observing. 

She suddenly recalled why Ryoma may have entered, "Do you want me to play anything for you?" 

Some of her classmates came in when it was just her to listen to her play. She never minded, she enjoyed allowing others the chance to relax. It was something about her, even if she was feeling unmotivated she would gather the strength to let her fingers dance over the keys of the piano.

Ryoma rolled the lollipop in his mouth with his tongue, it clinked gently against his teeth, "Nah... You don't have to."

A comfortable silence fell between them. 

"Do you wanna come with me somewhere? Gonta was supposed to come but he ditched to go look at bugs or something..." Ryoma started, his rounded eyes darting over Kaede's face like a moth drawn to light.

"Um..." Kaede glanced around her. Maybe a journey with Ryoma would help clear her head, no matter where the boy took her; "Yes! Of course, are we going now?"

"If you want. Get your coat, though."

* * *

Ryoma was waiting for her in the doorway to the outdoors, he was wrapped up in a coat and had his head dipped under a fluffed hood. As Kaede approached, he pushed himself from leaning on the doorframe and stood at her legs, waiting as she untucked a pink umbrella and pushed it open.

If Kaede thought the downfall was extreme while she was sat inside, it was nothing like the drops that were falling onto the umbrella that she and Ryoma huddled under together. Puddles gathered beneath their feet as Kaede danced around them, careful not to get her feet wet. In contrast to her light-footed actions, Ryoma stomped through the puddles, uncaring how much water splashed up his legs and wet the fabric.

"Aren't you cold?" The blonde asked after walking in silence for a while. Just watching the water drip through Ryoma's clothes was enough to make her shiver. She snuggled her jaw under the neck of her coat, tucking her chin beneath the heavy material that warmed her. 

Ryoma glanced up at her, the lollipop stick in his mouth had lost his sweetness a while ago and he was currently chewing on the remainder of the stick.

"No. I don't mind the cold that much," Ryoma said, "The rain is... soothing."

"You think so? I find it distracting..." Kaede glanced outwards and huddled closer the umbrella. If she was with anyone else, they would've shoved her over to have more room to not get wet, but Ryoma just stayed in his place, letting the rain drip over his hood. He seemed not to mind if it meant Kaede could stay dry.

"It varies. I find rain relaxing, you find it distracting," Ryoma shrugged, "Personality differences."

Relaxing... Kaede supposed it was. A simple melody flowing through the air, the soft serenity of rain droplets pattering against the stretched material of the umbrella. With Ryoma at her side, the rain seemed less distracting and more... calming. Maybe it was just Ryoma's presence next to her. 

They continued to walk. They turned the corner, Ryoma guiding her by walking slightly in front and tugging the bottom of the umbrella handle in the direction he needed them to go. The street they turned down was littered with small shops and groups of apartment buildings. It seemed rather shabby compared to the other roads they'd travelled down. 

At the end of the road, tucked away in the corner, was a little building with grey walls, which looked like they may have been white at some point in its lifetime. The building had a glass door with posters stuck on the inside pointing out and had few windows allowing natural light in the room.

"What is this place?" Kaede enquired, looking down at the boy next to her as he shuffled from under the umbrella out into the rain. 

"Animal shelter," Ryoma called back to her, pushing open the door and scurrying inside. He stood next to it and kept it pushed open with one foot, "Are you coming in?"

Kaede nodded and hurried inside, closing and shaking off the umbrella so the water fell and soaked the carpeted floor of the entrance. She was immediately greeted by noises of all kinds, the callings of bird and barks of dogs that were stuck inside from the rain. A woman - with long blonde hair and pretty blue eyes, her nametag said "Sonia," - sat at the desk in the reception. She perked up at the sound of the door opening.

"Hoshi-kun!" Sonia called, giving a polite smile as both Kaede and Ryoma stripped from their coats and hung them in the section from the doorway. 

"Hey, this is Akamatsu," Ryoma threw his hand in the direction of Kaede and allowed Sonia to greet her happily, leaning over the desk to shake her hand. Ryoma and Sonia chatted for a minute or two - mostly about a guy called Gundham - until Ryoma dragged Kaede over to one of the doors. 

The door was white - like the walls - but had a small metal carving of a cat face screwed into it. Some of the paint was peeling off it. Ryoma shouldered the door open.

Inside the room was a row of large cages with some of the tiniest kittens Kaede had ever seen in her life. Ryoma immediately went over and fiddled with one of the cages doors, allowing the cat inside to push it open with its nose. The tennis player gripped the cat's body and flopped it over his shoulder, turning to face Kaede. 

"This is Sora," He hummed. The cat was clambering over his shoulder, it was smaller than his head, which was saying something because Ryoma was, well... tiny. The cat was white with brown patches, a miniature cartwheel of fur. It was yowling pretty loudly in Ryoma's ear but he ignored it. 

"Did you name her?" Kaede softened at the thought of Ryoma playing with kittens. He always seemed so... tough. A bad boy, one who had - allegedly - been to prison, though Kokichi could've been lying when he said that. 

Ryoma grunted in response, a clarification without saying anything. 

"Do the rest of them have names?"

"Hana," - a small black kitten with a white spot on her chin - "Momo," - another white kitten with brown patches, a tortoiseshell, that was curled in a ball - "and, last but not least, Kotarou."

Kotarou was the smallest of them and completely white in colour. It was sat at the cage door, meowing loudly for attention to come over his way. Ryoma tugged the door open and pulled the kitten out by the skin on his neck, lifting him over and dumping the tiny ball of fluff into Kaede's hand. It went on for a few minutes as Ryoma opened the cat's cages. The four ran between their legs as Kaede sat crouched on the floor with them, letting them attack her fingers and knocking them over with the palms of her hand. She giggled lightly and turned to face Ryoma, who had sat on a small stool next to her.

"I didn't expect you to like cats," Kaede said to him, flicking a small felt mouse across the floor as Hana hopped toward it and gripped it between her sharp claws. 

Ryoma snorted, "Well, I do. Just... don't tell anyone."

"Why not?"

"I have to keep my bad boy appearance up, y'know?"

Kaede laughed out loud, "Oh my god, Hoshi-kun, you're so cute!" 

A cat scrambled over her hands again and Kaede left Ryoma to fret over them, not noticing the flush appearing on his face, nor the tug on his hat downwards to cover up his eyes.


End file.
